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Perspective Using Yarn and Pushpins
Submitted by: Stephen Watson, at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Lesson Plan: "Yarn and Pushpin Perspective"
for ART 110: Drawing I
Description:
Students will learn linear perspective by using yarn and push pins.
Objectives:
• Learning one and two-point perspective an easy way.
• Draw perspective from observation.
Working together as a team.
Execution:
Tools and Materials:
Yarn Assortment
Push Pins
Sharp Scissors
Rulers
Full-Page Printouts of Source Images
General Guidelines:
This is a team project. You will share materials with other team-members. Each team will have their own section of wall space at least 6' wide [1.83 meters]
Use the lighter yarn for the perspective lines and the darker ones for the "real" lines. The yarn is attached to the wall with pushpins.
It is up to the team how they secure the yarn to the pushpins. Teams should be as precise as possible. It is easy to adjust the yarn with the pushpins.
Teams who finish early can add other details to their pictures such as windows.
Image One: House
The teacher will walk students through each step of the first exercise. First, students draw the horizon line high up on the drawing surface. It must be perfectly horizontal. A vanishing point is added near the edge of the horizon line on the right by using a pushpin.
From that pushpin, a piece of light yarn is drawn down and left from the vanishing point (pushpin). A second light piece of light yarn is drawn down from the same pushpin but lower than the other. This will form the bottom of the house (#1 in the figure 2 below). The top piece of yarn will be used to draw the top of the wall (#2 in figure 2). Try to make the degree of the slope of the yarn lines identical to the figure below on this page by site first. You may enlarge and print the image on this page to put underneath the yarn to check its angle.
After the yarn is in the correct position, locate the place where the two pieces of yarn are five inches vertically apart [12.7 cm]. At that location, substitute the black yarn for the light yarn. (See figure 3 below) Put a vertical piece of black yarn at that location. This will connect both yarn lines vertically. This will form the corner of the wall in #3 of figure 2.
To find the location for the black yarn in #4 in figure 2, find the place where an invisible line connects 4a and 4b in figure 2. You may check your lines by once again placing the printout behind the yarn. From where your invisible line connects both 4a and 4b, place a vertical piece of black yarn from the bottom light yarn to the top light yarn. This line will form the right edge of the two-window wall (#4 in figure 2) and will terminate on each end where the light pieces of yarn cross.
Once the wall with the windows is established, the top black line (#2 in figure 2) and bottom black line (#1 in figure 2) are easy. Add these two black yarns by placing them over the lighter theoretical pieces of yarn. One connects the tops of the left and right edges and the bottom connects the bottoms of the left and right edges.
To see where the bottom edge of the wall with one window, connect the light piece of yarn from the left vanishing point to point 5a in figure 2. Another light piece of yarn goes from the vanishing point on the left to 4a in figure 2. Take a light piece of yarn and connect one end to 4a. Have it terminate where the other corner (6a) will be. From 6a, put a black piece of yarn and have it go up vertically until it reaches the top light yarn (7a). This will form the left edge of wall #6. Once the wall with one window is finished, the bottom piece of yarn that connects 5a and 6a is easy to determine.
You will now create your windows. To place the front window, you will need to find the center of the wall formed by corners 3, 5, and 6. Take two pieces of light yarn and connect both corners 4a and 6a, and corners 7a with 5a. Where the yarn lines cross is the center of the wall. Move the light piece of yarn connecting the left vanishing point to above the center point where you want the top of the window to be. Put a piece of black yarn vertically down from the top window line down as far as you want the bottom of the window. Do the same for the other side. Move the light piece of yarn from the left vanishing point down to where you want the bottom of the window to be. Connect both vertical black lines with the new line formed by the vanishing point. (See figure 2) Finally, have a light piece of yarn go vertically up from the center of the window straight up to where you want the peak of the house (#8a) to be.
You will handle the top edges of the roof differently. Following the diagram, make the line that connects 4a and 8a at an angle that is as close to the diagram as you can make. The back left line for your roof will go from 8a to a little left of point 7a. This is because the roof will extend beyond the wall of the house. From point #8a you will connect it to the right-side vanishing point. This will form both the top of the house (#7). Check your work with figure 3 below.
From 8a you will connect a piece of black yarn just to the left of 7a. This will allow the roof to extend beyond the wall with side #6. This will finish the one-window wall.
Most people will just eyeball the back roof line. At the back of the home, make a black yarn line parallel to 4a and 8a. It will start just to the right of point 10a and continue up to the top light yarn line. (www.tinyhousedesign.com)
Student work, ART 110: Drawing I
Image Two: Checkerboard
This image will be a little easier for students. First, draw the horizon line and then put a vanishing point in the center of the horizon line. Use a push pin to mark the center vanishing point. Add another horizontal line about three feet [3 meters] below the horizon line. This will form the bottom of your checkerboard. (A, C, and E in figure 4 on the right)
Draw a line straight down from the vanishing point down to the bottom horizontal line of the checkerboard. This will form the center of the checkerboard (#B). Add a push-pin in place where line A, C, and E, and B intersect.
Put three pushpins to the left of the center line 4" (10 cm) apart. Do the same to the right of the center line. This will indicate where the three squares on either side of the center line (#C) are located. Connect each of these points along the center line to the vanishing point above by using pushpins.
The next horizontal line up from the bottom (D) must be drawn by sight. Pin it up, step back, and see how it looks. The height of this location may vary, but the distance between it and the bottom horizontal line will be less than four inches (10 cm).
From point A in figure 4, bring a light piece of yarn up to the right that goes through the upper right corner in the first front square up through point B and beyond to the last line to the right. See figure 5 below that illustrates this process.
You can now add the additional horizontal lines. They will be spaced apart where the vertical lines that come from the vanishing point and the theoretical line that crosses to the upper right intersect. (See the light piece of yarn that angles right in figure 5)
Add one theoretical horizontal line across the drawing at every place the diagonal theoretical line rising from the bottom right corner intersects a pushpin line running to the vanishing point. This completes the outline of the grid. Add black yarn lines to finish the drawing.
Your drawing will be two rows shorter than the image on this page above. If you finish early, feel free to try to figure out how to add the uppermost horizontal lines, to make the grid 8x6 rather than 6x6.
Student work, ART 110: Drawing I
Image Three: Cube House
After finishing the previous assignments, the final perspective assignment should be easy enough to finish without any guidance. There are small differences to overcome such as the location of the horizon line and smaller base on the left side of the building, but with teammwork, students should do fine.
House from www.promo.ba
Repeat the same routine with the light and dark yarn when creating the perspective drawing. See the image below for a little help.
Student work, ART 110: Drawing I
Evaluation:
Each project will be graded on craftsmanship, cooperation, precision, use of the basics of perspective, and following directions.
